The invention is generally in the field of a stable support stand capable of providing medical support to a patient and is optionally mobile and readily maneuverable by a patient to whom a medical device is connected. Disclosed herein are aspects related to a convenient and reliable systems for intravenous fluid supply systems that are capable of folding into a compact storage configuration, and can provide patient mobility assistance, such as a combination walker and infusion management system (“IMS”). In particular, the IMS is a radical improvement and departure over traditional intravenous (“IV”) poles currently in use.
It is important for patient rehabilitation and recovery that a patient be able to walk, even when connected to a medical component, after a medical procedure (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,378). A walking patient, however, presents special safety problems in terms of ensuring the supporting pole is stable and does not tip or hinder the patient or caregiver when it is moving with the patient. This safety concern is not adequately addressed by current IV poles that have a vertical pole connected to a wheeled base. The IMS provided herein is designed to ensure medical components (including relatively heavy components) are easily attached to the IMS, and the IMS is extremely stable, maneuverable, and optionally capable of providing reliable physical support to a walking or moving patient. In addition, an IMS of the present invention is capable of folding into an extremely compact configuration when not in use.
Although the medical products and healthcare industries have undergone rapid development, the basic IV pole has remained relatively unchanged for most of the last century. They remain rigid, heavy, difficult to roll, unwieldy, ugly, easily tipped and nearly impossible to conveniently store when not in use. The IV poles known in the art generally require two-handed manipulation to appropriately configure the pole height to a specific patient and oftentimes the pole does not reliably lock at a certain height. The wheels of the poles often stop rolling or catch (such as on a rug or uneven surface transition between rooms), increasing the risk of pole-tipping, potentially causing serious injury and damage to valuable attached medication and equipment.
Another major drawback to the IV poles currently used is that they are very difficult to store. Generally, when not in use they are clustered together in a storeroom (or an unused patient room converted to a storage room), or at the end of a hall. This clustering results in a jumble of devices that may be difficult to access when a pole is needed, as well as occupying valuable hospital space that could be better utilized. This is not a simple problem because a typical hospital likely owns hundreds of IV poles. Even in smaller settings, such as doctors' offices, the presence of only a couple of IV poles can present serious storage issues.
Wheeled pole support systems used in clinical settings are generally known in the art (e.g., see U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,056,249, 4,744,536, 4,892,279, 4,725,027, 6,619,599, 5,772,162, 5,458,305, 4,905,944, U.S. Pub. No. 2005/0139736). One common limitation of each of those pole systems is that the central vertical pole configuration in combination with the conventional base structure is inherently unstable and ill-suited for holding heavy medical components. Components are generally connected to the IV pole by clamping or connecting them to the central vertical pole. This configuration is more prone to tipping because the center of gravity inherently shifts toward the perimeter of the base as equipment and accessories are added. In addition, the long lever arm and the height of suspended components result in a large lever arm which acts to exacerbate the inherent instability of the system, especially in view of how such systems are maneuvered. Accordingly, the configuration of the IV poles known in the art is prone to tipping, especially for a moving system whose wheels have a tendency to catch on surface disturbances.
IV poles currently used are also extremely ineffective walkers and do not provide any mobility assistance to a user. To walk with an IV pole, the patient grips the central pole with one hand, and cannot rely on the pole for support because the pole can easily and rapidly roll in an unwanted or unpredicted direction. This reflects the fact that a force-couple is created by having to maneuver the IV pole with only one hand, where the pole is generally located beside the user, and in a direction that is not inline with the direction of motion of the user. Therefore, the inertia of the IV pole is not inline with the direction of motion of the user. This creates the aforementioned force couple. Accordingly, the user must exert additional force/effort to move the IV pole and has a reduced ability to correct the IV pole in the event it tips or begins to tip. This problem increases as the mass or weight of the IV pole increases, such as by the connection of medically-needed components such as infusion pumps, for example. In addition, the base configuration that contains the wheels can interfere with patient walking and are easily caught on cracks (e.g., elevators) or other disturbance, further increasing instability.
Ambulatory patient support stands are generally known in the art (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,969,031, 4,332,378). Those stands, however, still suffer from being inherently unsteady and unwieldy in that the wheeled base remains attached to a central pole and the patient still relies on the central pole for support. Accordingly, those systems remain unstable, unable to hold multiple heavy components, and do not easily fold for storage or deploy for use.
The fact that IV poles are inherently terribly designed for providing walking support is recognized in U.S. Pat. No. 5,704,577 where a walker-IV stand coupler is disclosed for connecting a traditional four-wheeled walker with an IV pole. That system, however, is unwieldy and complicated, requiring three different components that occupy a significant amount of space.
Walkers known in the art (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,479,953, 5,411,044) have been adapted to receive an IV pole and/or IV solution bags. Those walkers, however, are relatively bulky four-wheeled systems that are not easily stored and do not have the capability and features of the present invention. Other walkers that may be collapsible for storage (e.g, U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,044) are not able to hold multiple heavy components, do not provide reliable physical support for an ambulating patient and/or are relatively difficult for a patient to maneuver.
Portable IV stands for field-use (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,837, 6,983,915) and other types of stands having special caster wheel mechanisms (U.S. Pub. No. 2003/0178538, U.S. Pat. No. 2,794,612 for tripod with caster wheel mechanisms) are known in the art. Those stands, however, do not address the need for stable, easily deployable patient mobility assistance systems and infusion stands provided herein.